Assistant United States Attorney

Summary

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York (NDNY) serves an area comprised of 32 counties in upstate New York. Assistant U.S. Attorney's (AUSAs) are staffed in Albany, Binghamton, Plattsburgh, and Syracuse, and appear before federal judges there and in Utica. Approximately 55 attorneys and 51 support personnel work in NDNY, along with several subject-matter specialist contract personnel. Find additional information about the NDNY at https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndny

Duties

The United States Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York seeks experienced attorneys to serve as Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSAs) in the Civil Division's Affirmative Civil Enforcement (ACE) unit. Civil Division AUSAs serve as lead counsel in federal litigation from investigation through appeal and receive substantial responsibility from the outset. Attorneys manage their own dockets, appear regularly in federal court, collaborate closely with federal agencies and Department of Justice components, and handle matters of significant national and regional importance. Attorneys in the ACE unit investigate and litigate affirmative civil matters on behalf of the United States, with a particular emphasis on False Claims Act cases involving health care fraud, procurement fraud, grant fraud, and other fraud affecting federal programs. The Office maintains an active and sophisticated False Claims Act practice, including matters initiated through qui tam complaints and investigations conducted jointly with federal law enforcement agencies, inspectors general, and agency partners across the government. In addition to False Claims Act matters, ACE AUSAs handle affirmative litigation involving environmental violations and federal civil rights statutes, including matters involving voting rights and discrimination based on race, sex, religion, or disability. Attorneys may also handle matters involving civil violations of the Controlled Substances Act and other enforcement priorities of the Department of Justice and the Office. ACE AUSAs may also represent the United States in bankruptcy proceedings. ACE matters frequently involve parallel criminal, regulatory, and administrative investigations and require close coordination with agents, auditors, investigators, and attorneys from the Department of Justice and other United States Attorneys' Offices. Attorneys are expected to manage investigations strategically, exercise sound judgment, and litigate independently in federal court. Responsibilities will increase and assignments will become more complex as training and experience progress. Security Requirements: Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory preemployment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. Selective Service Requirement: If you are a male applicant born after December 31, 1959, you must certify that you have registered with the Selective Service System, or are exempt from having to do so under the Selective Service Law. See www.sss.gov. Residency Requirement: Assistant United States Attorneys generally must reside in the district to which he or she is appointed or within 25 miles thereof. See 28 U.S.C. 545 for district-specific information. Travel Requirement: Employment will require occasional travel to court at one of the designated District sites, namely Albany, Binghamton, Syracuse and Utica. Other occasional travel within and/or outside the District may be required. Qualifications

Required Qualifications: Applicants must possess a Juris Doctor (J.D.) degree (or equivalent), be an active member in good standing of the bar (any U.S. jurisdiction), and have at least 1-year post-J.D. (or equivalent) legal or other relevant experience. Applicants must hold United States citizenship. Preferred Qualifications: The ideal candidates will: Have at least 3 years of post-J.D. experience that provided significant opportunity to develop strong legal writing, oral advocacy, and courtroom litigation skills; Demonstrate facility with federal civil practice; Be comfortable with all aspects of electronic discovery and litigation; Collaborate effectively with others, including AUSAs, law enforcement, support staff, and court personnel; Possess impeccable integrity; Be self-motivated, justice-oriented, organized, and courteous; and Be capable of receiving substantial responsibility from the outset and expect to manage matters independently while maintaining the highest standards of advocacy and public service. Applicants must meet all qualification requirements upon closing date of this announcement. Initial appointment is conditioned upon a satisfactory pre-employment adjudication. This includes fingerprint, credit and tax checks, and drug testing. In addition, continued employment is subject to a favorable adjudication of a background investigation. The staffing of these positions is subject to the availability of funds. As needed, additional positions may be filled using this announcement.

Education

Applicants must possess a J.D. Degree. How You Will Be Evaluated

Evaluation Method: Once your complete application package is received, it will be reviewed to ensure you meet all job requirements. After the application period closes, the NDNY leadership team will review all qualified applicants to make determinations on who they will interview. You will be notified if selected for an interview. Our hiring process may involve in-person interviews. The Occupational Questionnaire will take you approximately 20 minutes to complete. Veterans' Preference: There is no formal rating system for applying veterans' preference to attorney appointments in the excepted service; however, the Department of Justice considers veterans' preference eligibility as a positive factor in attorney hiring. Applicants eligible for veterans' preference must indicate their preference in response to the appropriate question in their assessment questionnaire (it is also recommended that information is included in their cover letter or resume) and they must submit supporting documentation (e.g., DD 214, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty and other supporting documentation) which verifies their eligibility for preference. Although the "point" system is not used, per se, applicants eligible to claim 10-point preference must submit Standard Form (SF) 15, Application for 10-Point Veteran Preference, and submit the supporting documentation required for the specific type of preference claimed (visit the OPM website, http://www.opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/sf15.pdf for a copy of SF 15, which lists the types of 10-point preferences and the required supporting document(s). Applicants should note that SF 15 requires supporting documentation associated with service-connected disabilities or receipt of nonservice-connected disability pensions to be dated 1991 or later except in the case of service members submitting official statements or retirement orders from a branch of the Armed Forces showing that retirement was due to a permanent service-connected disability or that they were transferred to the permanent disability retired list (the statement or retirement orders must indicate that the disability is 10% or more). Reasonable Accommodations: This agency provides reasonable accommodation to applicants with disabilities where appropriate. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the agency. Determinations on requests for reasonable accommodation will be made on a case-by-case basis. Other Information

Salary: Assistant United States Attorney's pay is administratively determined based, in part, on the number of years of professional attorney experience. The range of basic pay is $65,563 to $171,487 per year, plus a locality pay supplement, where authorized. For Syracuse, NY, the total salary range is $76,748 to $197,100 per year, which includes 17.06% locality pay. For Albany, NY, the total salary range is $79,180 to $197,100 per year, which includes 20.77% locality pay. Benefits: The Department of Justice offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes, in part, paid vacation; sick leave; holidays; telework; life insurance; health benefits; and participation in the Federal Employees Retirement System. The Benefits link provides an overview of the benefits currently offered to Federal Employees. Relocation Expenses: Relocation expenses will not be authorized. This and other vacancy announcements can be found under Attorney Vacancies and Volunteer Legal Internships. The Department of Justice cannot control further dissemination and/or posting of information contained in this vacancy announcement. Such posting and/or dissemination is not an endorsement by the Department of the organization or group disseminating and/or posting the information. Applicants should familiarize themselves and comply with the relevant rules of professional conduct regarding any possible conflicts of interest in connection with their applications. In particular, please notify this Office if you currently represent clients or adjudicate matters in which this Office is involved and/or you have a family member who is representing clients or adjudicating matters in which this Office is involved so that we can evaluate any potential conflict of interest or disqualification issue that may need to be addressed under those circumstances. Political Appointees (Current and Former): The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must authorize employment offers made to current or former political appointees. If you are currently, or have been within the last 5 years, a political Schedule A, Schedule C or Non-Career SES employee in the Executive Branch, you must disclose this information to the HR Office. Failure to disclose this information could result in disciplinary action including removal from Federal Service. EEO Statement/Policy: The United States government does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service or other non-merit factor. More information can be found here: https://www.justice.gov/jmd/media/1425556/dl?inline.